Primarily a British blues band, Fleetwood Mac scored a UK number one with "Albatross", and had other hits such as the singles "Oh Well" and "Man of the World". All three guitarists left in succession during the early 1970s, to be replaced by guitarists Bob Welch and Bob Weston and vocalist Dave Walker. By 1974, all three of them had either departed or been dismissed, leaving the band without a male lead vocalist or guitarist. In late 1974, while Fleetwood was scouting studios in Los Angeles, he was introduced to American folk-rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac soon asked Buckingham to be their new lead guitarist, and Buckingham agreed on condition that Nicks would also join the band.
The addition of Buckingham and Nicks gave the band a more pop rock sound, and their 1975 self-titled album, Fleetwood Mac, reached No. 1 in the United States. Rumours (1977), Fleetwood Mac's second album after the arrival of Buckingham and Nicks, produced four U.S. Top 10 singles and remained at number one on the American albums chart for 31 weeks. It also reached the top spot in various countries around the world and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978. Rumours has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums in history. The band went through personal turmoil while recording the album, as both the romantic partnerships in the band (one being John and Christine McVie, and the other being Buckingham and Nicks) separated while continuing to make music together.
The band's personnel remained stable through three more studio albums, but by the late 1980s began to disintegrate. After Buckingham and Nicks each left the band, they were replaced by a number of other guitarists and vocalists. A 1993 one-off performance for the first inauguration of Bill Clinton featured the lineup of Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham back together for the first time in six years. A full reunion occurred four years later, and the group released their fourth U.S. No. 1 album, The Dance (1997), a live compilation of their hits, also marking the 20th anniversary of Rumours. Christine McVie left the band in 1998, but continued to work with the band in a session capacity. Meanwhile, the group remained together as a four-piece, releasing their most recent studio album, Say You Will, in 2003. Christine McVie rejoined the band full-time in 2014. In 2018, Buckingham was fired from the band and was replaced by Mike Campbell, formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House.
Fleetwood Mac has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling bands. In 1979, the group was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1998 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
Danny Kirwan, guitarist, songwriter and early member of Fleetwood Mac (1968–1972) died in London, England, on 8 June 2018, aged 68. An obituary in The New York Times said he had died in his sleep after contracting pneumonia earlier in the year. The British music magazine Mojo quoted Christine McVie as saying: "Danny Kirwan was the white English blues guy. Nobody else could play like him. He was a one-off ... Danny and Peter [Green] gelled so well together. Danny had a very precise, piercing vibrato – a unique sound ... He was a perfectionist; a fantastic musician and a fantastic writer." One of Kirwan's songs, "Tell Me All the Things You Do" from the 1970 album Kiln House, was included in the set of the 2018–19 An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour.
On 28 May 2020 Neil Finn, featuring Nicks and McVie, with Campbell on guitar, released the song “Find Your Way Back Home” for the Auckland, New Zealand homeless shelter Auckland City Mission.
Founding member Peter Green died on 25 July 2020 at the age of 73. In October 2020, Rumours again entered the Billboard top 10. The album received 30.6 million plays on streaming platforms the week of October 15, after a TikTok video of the song "Dreams" went viral.
On 30 November 2022, it was announced that band member Christine McVie died at the age of 79, after a short illness.
Peacekeeper
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every one will suffer the fire we've made
They all explode just the same
And there's no going back on the plans we've made
Peacekeeper, take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
Only creatures who are on their way
Ever poison their own well
But we still have time to hate
And there's still something we can sell
Peacekeeper, take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper, don't tell why
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
When the night is cold and still
When you thought you'd had your fill
Take all the time you will
This is not a test, it's not a drill
Take no prisoners, only kill
You know all of our friends are Gods
And they all tell us how to paint our face
But there's only one brush we need
It's the one that never leaves a trace
Peacekeeper, take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper, don't tell why
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
Peacekeeper, take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper, don't tell why
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
When the night is cold and still
When you thought you'd had your fill
This is not a test, it's not a drill
Take no prisoners, only kill
Fleetwood Mac’s song Peacekeeper is a commentary on the human condition, specifically the relationship between humanity and violence. In the song, the lyrics suggest that all humans, no matter how different they may seem or where they come from, are capable of violence and destruction. The opening line "We make all of our suns the same" implies that regardless of race, religion, or nationality, we are all the same at our core and are capable of causing destruction. The line "Only creatures who are on their way ever poison their own well" suggests that humans are the only creatures that would harm themselves and their own habitat.
The chorus of the song encourages peace, urging the “Peacekeeper” to wait until the dark of night, suggesting that the darkness will provide safety for the peacekeeper. The lyrics then suggest that love is the “sweet surprise” – that by embracing love and not being afraid to fight for it, we can overcome our destructive tendencies.
Overall, Peacekeeper is a powerful and incisive commentary on the human condition, reminding us that we are capable of both good and evil, and that it is up to us to choose which path we take.
Line by Line Meaning
We make all of our suns the same
All of our actions have the same consequences
Every one will suffer the fire we've made
All will face the consequences of our actions
They all explode just the same
All will suffer equally
And there's no going back on the plans we've made
We cannot undo the damage we have caused
Peacekeeper, take your time
Be patient
Wait for the dark of night
Wait for the opportune moment
Soon all the suns will rise
Things will change for the better
Peacekeeper, don't tell why
Keep your intentions to yourself
Don't be afraid to fight
Stand up for what's right
Love is the sweet surprise
Love conquers all
Only creatures who are on their way
Only those on the path of destruction harm themselves
Ever poison their own well
Only humans destroy their own environment
But we still have time to hate
We have not yet learned to love
And there's still something we can sell
We still prioritize profits over peace
When the night is cold and still
When things are most difficult
When you thought you'd had your fill
When you think you have nothing left
This is not a test, it's not a drill
This is real life, not a practice run
Take no prisoners, only kill
Don't hold back in doing what needs to be done
You know all of our friends are Gods
People look up to certain individuals as role models
And they all tell us how to paint our face
Society pressures us to conform to certain expectations
But there's only one brush we need
We need to stay true to ourselves
It's the one that never leaves a trace
Our true selves cannot be erased
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
enamoreme
Lyrics:
We make all of our suns the same
Every one will suffer the fire we've made
They all explode just the same
And there's no going back on the plans we've made
Peacekeeper, take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper, don't tell why
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
Only creatures who are on their way
Ever poison their own well
But we still have time to hate
And there's still something we can sell
Peacekeeper, take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper, don't tell why
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
When the night is cold and still
When you thought you'd had your fill
Take all the time you will
This is not a test, it's not a drill
Take no prisoners, only kill
You know all of our friends are Gods
And they all tell us how to paint our face
But there's only one brush we need
It's the one that never leaves a trace
Peacekeeper, take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper, don't tell why
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
Peacekeeper, take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper, don't tell why
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
When the night is cold and still
When you thought you'd had your fill
This is not a test, it's not a drill
Take no prisoners, only kill
Rinnittle
Great song! Lyrics just cause I don't see them.
vvvv
We make all of our sons the same
Every one will suffer the fire we've made
They all explode just the same
And there's no going back on the plans we've made
Peacekeeper take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper don't tell why
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
Ooh...ooh...
Only creatures who are on their way
Ever poison their own well
But we still have time to hate
And there's still something we can sell
Peacekeeper take your time
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper don't tell why (don't tell why)
Don't be afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise
When the night is cold and still
When you thought you'd had your fill
Take all the time you will
This is not a test, it's not a drill
Take no prisoners, only kill
Ooh...ooh...
You know all of our friends are gods
And they all tell us how to paint our face
But there's only one brush we need
It's the one that never leaves a trace (leaves a trace, leaves a trace)
Peacekeeper take your time (peacekeeper take your time)
Wait for the dark of night (wait for the dark of night)
Soon all the suns will rise (soon all the suns will rise)
Peacekeeper don't tell why (peacekeeper don't tell why)
Don't be afraid to fight (don't be afraid to fight)
Love is the sweet surprise (love is the sweet surprise)
Peacekeeper take your time (take your time)
Wait for the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise (soon all the suns will rise)
Peacekeeper don't tell why (peacekeeper don't tell why)
Don't be afraid to fight (don't be afraid to fight)
Love is the sweet surprise (love is the sweet surprise)
When the night is cold and still
When you thought you'd had your fill
This is not a test, it's not a drill
Take no prisoners, only kill
Robert Wiesler
Lindsey Buckingham is one of the best
(and most underrated) guitar players
on this planet
Levin Whitfield
IMO....greatest ever.
sowhatwearedoomed
And I don’t think he ever used a pick.
Della A
I agree he’s the best
David Carney
Stevie has always been jealous of Lindsay
Robert Wiesler
@David Carney true
Bonesidedowngoof
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham together, so powerful!!!
Mitch Conner
Buckingham & Mcvie for me.
Luchi
@Mitch Conner which Mcvie? Ik Christine isn't here but in general
Mitch Conner
@Luchi Christine. Did you hear the Buckingham movie album. It was cool.